Considering a Motor Yacht and Fuel ( for the Mrs. )

[SouthernHiker]

Ok, so I draw closer to buying a boat (have really planned on a sailboat since the beginning), BUT....

Today, went to the Atlanta Boat Show where they told me by phone there would be LOTS of sailboats (there were 4 all small ten footers).

While there though, the misses and I walked into to some very fancy motor yachts, and this of course got her thinking how stable and all they could be.

So being the faithful husband, I am at least looking into them, via browsing the YB site.

Here's the question. What kind of fuel costs am I looking at on average?

I know it all depends on various circumstances, but let's say for giggles this boat, just picking one off the low pricing search engines that looks "neat.":

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi..._id=71011&url=


and that we would be motoring up and down the ICW first (then later the Bahamas).

Could something like this work, and if so, what kind of fuel costs are we talking on a per/hour or per day basis.

No rush (again, I'm more into sailing) so we could go as slow as would keep costs down (5-10 knots) if it makes cents (pun intended).

[chadlaroche]

Well to give you an idea Ft lauderdale Fl to Freeport Bahamas in a 31' Monterey twin mercruiser engines cost 950$ there and back at $3.50 a gallon. About 97 miles one way and no cruising while there .

[DeepFrz]

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[SouthernHiker]

Originally Posted by chadlaroche

Well to give you an idea Ft lauderdale Fl to Freeport Bahamas in a 31' Monterey twin mercruiser engines cost 950$ there and back at $3.50 a gallon. About 97 miles one way and no cruising while there .

Thanks, that's the sort of info. I'm looking for.

Now is that motoring at cruising speeds (I'm guessing around 20 knots)? How much would I be looking at in savings for slower speeds, or does it all balance out somewhat in the wash (engines running longer, even if slower?)

[chadlaroche]

depends on the weather.when we went we were followed by a smaller 26ft boat in 3' swells.we were going slow so they could keep up just below and just at planing speed.Even though we were going slow we were beating into the waves vs full plane but it wouldnt have saved a whole lot .maybe 150 total on round trip.Twin engines is expensive to run any way you look at it but I also wouldnt go offshore with just one engine although people do it everyday

[SouthernHiker]

Originally Posted by chadlaroche

depends on the weather.when we went we were followed by a smaller 26ft boat in 3' swells.we were going slow so they could keep up just below and just at planing speed.Even though we were going slow we were beating into the waves vs full plane but it wouldnt have saved a whole lot .maybe 150 total on round trip.Twin engines is expensive to run any way you look at it but I also wouldnt go offshore with just one engine although people do it everyday

Great points. Think that's too rich to budget for, for me at this juncture either way. That was an easy decision, Wind Power as often as possible it is. Thanks again.

[chadlaroche]

no problem , I wanted a big flashy twin engine boat like this too until I went to the bahamas and had to split the gas with the owner ! 900 $ on the sailboat will take me past africa !

[SouthernHiker]

Originally Posted by chadlaroche

no problem , I wanted a big flashy twin engine boat like this too until I went to the bahamas and had to split the gas with the owner ! 900 $ on the sailboat will take me past africa !

Or at least south of the hurricanes for the summer and that will be good enough for me.

Still disappointed didn't get to see any new boats at the ATL boat show. I live too far inland to do any real shopping until the house and business are gone.

[bljones]

I am at the Toronto Boat Show this weekend. We just toured a Jeanneau 42 DS- a phenomenally well equipped boat with vectoring sail drive, two wheels, two heads, power winches etc.. for $250K all in.... OR you could buy a 40 foot Monterey. with one head but THREE flat screen TVs.... for $600K. Yeah the Monterey would cross the stream faster, but it would also deplete your cruising kitty faster. It's your choice.

[ActiveCaptain]

Originally Posted by chadlaroche

Well to give you an idea Ft lauderdale Fl to Freeport Bahamas in a 31' Monterey twin mercruiser engines cost 950$ there and back at $3.50 a gallon. About 97 miles one way and no cruising while there .

While true, that's not really the boat to cruise up and down the ICW and out to the Bahamas in.

You really need to investigate trawlers. I was exactly where you are now. I grew up sailing and spent a few years looking at cruising sailboats with my wife. We did some sailing and she decided that it just wasn't for her but she did like being out on the water - just not pulling lines, adjusting things, etc. So we started looking at trawlers.

8 years ago we purchased our current trawler. We've put 20,000 nm on her and now live on her for 9 months a year.

Depending on size, trawlers will get 2-4 nm per gallon of diesel. We live in Maine during he Summer but keep our house heated during the time we're gone (lots of reasons). We spend more on fuel for heating our house than we do for the boat. Fuel spending is far from our highest budget item while cruising and if I ever stop heating my house, my fuel will be "free."

So two things from my perspective. One, I'd rather be out on the water with a happy wife who wants to go and looks for ways to stay longer, than dream about sailing. Two, while the wind is free, sails aren't, and on a larger sailboat, it's an expense that should offset the cost of fuel to get a true comparison. All together, sailing can be less expensive, but not when you count in the cost of the divorce.

[Sailing Mermaid]

Greetings Southernhiker,

That's very interesting information regarding fuel comparisons. Knowing how you will use the boat gives you a leg-up on the process. Comparing boats leisurely, whether sail or power will provide enormous knowledge and assistance in making the right decision for you and your wife.

My husband and I shopped/looked/compared boats for over four years searching for "the right used sailboat". The obvious advantage of buying "used" led the way. This involved traveling up and down coasts of FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD,and ME. It became our full time hobby and part-time job. In hindsight, it was an amazingly valuable process as we studied and compared learning more and more. (I had no idea so many different boat were even built/used!)

Your idea to attend a boat show is excellent. Sorry the Atlanta Boat Show was such a disappointment, yet it was valuable. If it's possible, try to get to an "in the water boat show". (Miami show is next month Feb 17 - 23? note: Miami's sailboat portion wasn't nearly as large as offerings at Annapolis or Newport [our past experience] but still had lots of boats locally. Annapolis and Newport offered the most "bang for our buck and time" having (new and used) boats available for immediate inspection/comparing. Walking onto a vessel and being able to feel the space, see how it functions, inspect the engine room, opening lockers, checking seacock locations, walk along the deck and check for footing and the number of life lines on the stanchions and height of stanchions - how high up your leg does the top line hit - if tipped by the rocking boat would you stay onboard or be thrown over, etc,.

BTW, we are sailors and also considered motor sailors for the extra interior space. We opted for a monohull for sail advantages but upsized the engine from 75HP to a 110HP. It has helped repeatedly in strong currents, speed, and "groundings". We found our first sailboat on a fresh water lake in GA - an older aft cockpit 31' Cal that'd been babied and never seen saltwater. We now able to be onboard five-six months a year .... working into more months as we can.

Good luck and "enjoy" your search. Try to not be rushed - whether by your own excitement or by a broker/seller trying to offload a boat. Patience and knowledge will yield a wonderful and safe floating home.

The Sailing Mermaid

[foggysail]

I moved from sail to power instead of going to a larger sailboat. I have an older (1999) 40' Silverton aftcabin now going into our 6th year with the boat. The sailboat was a 30' Hunter that we bought new and used for 25 years. We went every place in that sailboat but I found that most of the time, our movement was under power. Not always but more than 50% of the time. Speed was not that important to us, the best the boat would do about6K pushing it and 5 most of the time under engine, 50% of the time under sail.......spend hours going at only 4K.

We made the transition to power for comfort. I completely exhausted all space opportunities in the sailboat. Even the dinghy was a PITA. Lift off the 60# 8HP outboard, carry it up the stern ladder, through the rear deck area and down the stairs for storage. After emptying the rest of the dink, crank it up onto the forward deck using a halyard, muscle it down an lash it in place. Watching TV was not worth the pain, I mean physical pain because of seating.

The Siverton is close to a floating condo!! I have everything including a deck crane to lift the 115# dinghy (same one) plus the new 72# outboard, fuel tanks seats and ++++ with the push of a button. Swing the crane on the deck and push a button to lower the dink into its chocks. tie it and done in less than 5 minutes!

We have a 32" flat screen TV, a full size living room furnishings, a full size bed, a 7.5KW generator, a huge windlass along with an 88# anchor. All because there is space for these things.

Fuel....... we have two Crusader 454 engines that will power the boat for cruising between 12-15K while running the engines at 2800-3000 RPM. We rarely do that!!!!

I operate on 1 engine set to about 1500 RPM, the other engine off. Cruise at just over 7K......much faster than the sailboat so that is like flying to us. At this speed with one engine it cost about 1 gallon for ever 1.6 K miles.

As mentioned by others, a trawler has great merits. We have a slight advantage over a trawler in that we can travel much faster if needed to get out of the weather.

Life is short, if you do go the sailboat route, do yourself a favor.... try to go large and the larger the better.

Foggy

EDIT: BE SURE TO TAKE BOATING/NAVIGATION COURSES for your safety and safety to others!!!!

[getlostonpurpose]

Yea, certain boat shows will be better for you than others. ATL...not so much. I was there too! You need Annapolis or Miami or St Pete or Newport.

As for a power/trawler it depends on how far you want to go. I cruised for 4 years from Charleston to Australia and met 2 people cruising on power boats that whole time. One of them was the guy who invented vacuum packing for food products. Wealthy or not, I still think 3,000 gallons of diesel in Tahiti at $6 a piece musta hurt!

[dacust]

There haven't been any sailboats at the Atlanta Boat Show for about 3-4 years. And there weren't many, even then.

As to power boats, at least last year the Ranger Tugs were there. This year there was absolutely nothing that I would consider a cruiser. Only 2-3 boats with diesels. All the big boats were basically express cruisers. Not one single boat with a totally enclosed helm.

The show has been steadily downsizing. This year it was about 2/3 the size of last year.

I've been every year for quite a while. Going on 10 years...? But if this trend keeps up, next year may be my last. I like looking at run-a-bouts and luxury gas burning lake boats, but if that's all there is, I loose interest quick. We only stayed 6 hours this time.

I think the best thing there, now, are the Adirondack Guide Boats.

To the OPs query, though, I'd recommend you look at diesels. And trawlers even better.

I traded my 36' gas (550hp total) for a 36' diesel (600hp). Went from 1.5 gallons per mile to 1.5 miles per gallon. Still a planing hull, though. A trawler with smaller engines could double that. Single engine even better.

-dan

[SouthernHiker]

Originally Posted by dacust

There haven't been any sailboats at the Atlanta Boat Show for about 3-4 years. And there weren't many, even then.

As to power boats, at least last year the Ranger Tugs were there. This year there was absolutely nothing that I would consider a cruiser. Only 2-3 boats with diesels. All the big boats were basically express cruisers. Not one single boat with a totally enclosed helm.

The show has been steadily downsizing. This year it was about 2/3 the size of last year.

I've been every year for quite a while. Going on 10 years...? But if this trend keeps up, next year may be my last. I like looking at run-a-bouts and luxury gas burning lake boats, but if that's all there is, I loose interest quick. We only stayed 6 hours this time.

I think the best thing there, now, are the Adirondack Guide Boats.

To the OPs query, though, I'd recommend you look at diesels. And trawlers even better.

I traded my 36' gas (550hp total) for a 36' diesel (600hp). Went from 1.5 gallons per mile to 1.5 miles per gallon. Still a planing hull, though. A trawler with smaller engines could double that. Single engine even better.

-dan

Ok, so new question...being that we're not in a hurry. What about a trawler? Is there any "extra room" for the wife's comfort? What would be the benefits over a sail boat from a living stand point, other than speed, and wind issues? What about costs for this option in fuel? Thanks.